Traditional outdoor light applications are designed to widely disperse light over large areas. These outdoor light fixtures are found in parking lots, activity areas like parks and athletic fields, and aligned along streets and sidewalks, and other high traffic areas. Many of these outdoor light fixtures utilize a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp that produces enough illumination to fully light the outdoor areas. A HID lamp is favorable over other light sources, such as fluorescent and incandescent lamps, because HID lamps have greater luminous efficacy.
While highly efficient, a HID lamp must be in a cooled state before it can be activated. Once activated, HID lights must cool down before they can be reactivated. HID lamps take a considerable amount of time to cool down after any use. The cool down period can be in excess of fifteen minutes. When an outdoor light fixture utilizing a HID lamp experiences a power interruption, the area surrounding the light fixture is devoid of light until the HID lamp has cooled and can be re-activated. The absence of light during the required cool down period can leave individuals and property in unsafe situations.
The common practice within the industry to counteract the lack of light during the cool down period is to employ a Quartz Restrike System (“QRS”). A QRS adds an incandescent quartz light source inside the HID lamp housing to provide instant light when power is restored. However, due to the height at which the luminaire housing is mounted, the fact that the optics for the light are optimized for the HID lamp (and not the quartz light source), and the low intensity of the quartz source, not much light reaches the ground below. Therefore, there is a need to provide immediate illumination after a power interruption until the HID lamp has fully cooled and can be reactivated. Additionally, there is a need for this light to adequately illuminate the areas surrounding the outdoor light fixture during the cool down period.